A professional sommelier will be on hand to educate as you sip, sip, sip – and celebrate .WINE and .VIN, which both begin Early Access on Jan. 20, 2015. As we await the sessions at NamesCon, Donuts has shared some advance tasting tips to prepare you for the celebration.
Look
- Hold the wine glass by the stem and look straight down at the wine. Notice the colour. Is it watery or pale, or deep and dark? The depth of colour will give you clues to the age and type of grape used to make the wine.
- Hold the glass up to the light or against a white background and notice the wine’s colour and clarity. Though “murky” colouring isn’t always a bad thing, some wines are brilliant and clear, with some sparkle – usually a good sign!
- Tilt the glass so the wine spreads toward the rim. Note the color and viscosity (a.k.a. ‘tears’ or ‘legs’). More viscous wines have ‘legs’ and are usually sweeter and more alcoholic.
Smell
- Give the glass a good swirl to allow it to breathe.
- Hover your nose over the top of the glass and take a few quick, short sniffs. What flavours can you identify? Fruits, flowers, herbs, spices or earthy scents? You can probably pick out several in each wine.
Taste
- Take a small sip and roll the wine gently in your mouth before swallowing. Take another sip and try sucking on the wine as if you were sucking through a straw. This helps aerate the wine and delivers the flavours throughout your mouth.
- Notice the flavours. Can you taste the aromas identified a moment ago?
- Notice the structure. The sweetness, body, alcohol, acidity, and tannin of the wine.
- Notice the entire profile. How is it different at the beginning, mid-palate and finish?
- Finally – and most importantly – decide if you like the wine.
See you at NamesCon for a toast!
Cheers! … and remember to drink responsibly.
